All-purpose plastic shortenings are conventionally produced by the appropriate thermal and mechanical treatment of a mixture of fats consisting of two or three components. In the production of plastic shortenings the components must be used together in a properly coordinated fashion to insure that the shortening made therefrom exhibits the desired degree of plasticity. Conventional two-component shortenings consist of a high-melting substantially- or wholly-hydrogenated solid fat, commonly called "hardstock", and a lower-melting (as compared to hardstock) partially-hydrogenated semi-solid fat, commonly called "basestock". Conventional three-component shortenings also consist of a hardstock and a "basestock", but said basestock is composed of an unhydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated liquid oil or base oil, as well as an intermediate-melting partially-hydrogenated semi-solid fat, commonly called "intermediate-melting fat". The basestock of two-component shortenings is generally prepared in such a way that it implicitly contains intermediate-melting fat and base oil but the shortenings made therefrom are classified as two-component shortenings because they contain the basestock as one component (albeit implicitly containing the equivalents of the base oil and the intermediate-melting fat of three-component shortening) and the hardstock as the other component All two-and three-component shortenings typically contain an emulsifier as an additional component. Whether characterized as a two- or three-component all-purpose plastic shortening, conventional plastic shortening generally contains from about 23% to about 48% saturated fatty acids (i.e., C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 saturated fatty acid ester groups, also referred to hereinafter as "saturates").
Recently, public consciousness has been raised regarding the dietary intake of saturated fats and the relationship of said dietary intake with serum cholesterol levels and with the HDL/LDL ratio therein, i.e., the ratio of high density lipoproteins (hereinafter HDL, i.e , "good" cholesterol) to low density lipoproteins (hereinafter LDL, i.e., "bad" cholesterol). See, for example, "Saturated Fats and Coronary Heart Disease," by Scott M. Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., in Current Concepts of Nutrition, Vol 10, pp. 57-78 (1981) for an examination of the elevating effect of saturated fats on total serum cholesterol and on atherosclerosis. For a study demonstrating that mono- and polyunsaturates lower LDL cholesterol as compared to saturates, see "Comparison of Effects of Dietary Saturated, Monounsaturated, and Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Plasma Lipids and Lipoproteins in Man" by Fred H. Mattson and Scott M. Grundy, in Journal of Lipid Research. Vol. 26, pp. 194-202 (1985). Thus, one of the indices that dieticians use to judge nutritional quality of fats is the ratio of polyunsaturates to saturates (hereinafter the P/S ratio) therein.
It has surprisingly been found that, by utilizing a specially hydrogenated intermediate-melting fat in combination with a hardstock and a base oil low in saturates in an all-purpose-plastic shortening, the amount of saturates necessary to achieve the desired plasticity in the all-purpose shortening formulation is reduced. This is accomplished predominantly by the reduction of the amount of saturates in the base oil and/or the intermediate-melting fat. The said reduction of saturates is made possible because of the presence of the said specially-hydrogenated intermediate-melting fat which more efficiently utilizes the saturated fatty acids and trans-isomers of unsaturated fatty acids in the fatty components of the shortening formulation to form solids; accordingly, sufficient solids are formed more efficiently and with less saturates, thereby achieving the desired plasticity in the resulting all-purpose plastic shortening. Accordingly, the low saturate all purpose plastic shortening of the present invention has from about 10% to about 20% saturates, as compared to conventional shortenings which have from about 23% to about 48% saturates.
It is also a requirement that the low-saturate plastic shortenings of the present invention exhibit good creaming ability and retain their appearance, volume, and performance characteristics under expected storage conditions. Accordingly, it is necessary in the production and storage of plastic shortenings to insure that the glycerides present therein are in, and remain in, throughout production and shipment by manufacturers and use and storage by consumers, the proper crystalline phase. It is well known that the beta-prime crystalline phase of glycerides is most preferred for plastic shortenings due to its capacity to form an interlocking crystalline structure and hold large amounts of oil. A shortening that contains solid glycerides that transform or recrystallize into the beta crystal phase often tends to produce graininess. To achieve a plastic shortening that exhibits and retains acceptable rheological characteristics over expected storage conditions, it is necessary that the solid glycerides therein crystallize and remain in the beta-prime crystalline form.
It has surprisingly been found that certain beta-prime stabilizing long-chain diglycerides and/or triglycerides are especially suitable for use in the low-saturate shortening of the present invention and impart enhanced beta-prime stability thereto.
In certain food products which are prepared with plastic shortening, such as frostings, icings, and cake batters, it is important to the preparation of the product that the shortening used therein imparts sufficient emulsion-, viscosity-, and foam-stability to the food product.
It has surprisingly been found that certain long-chain monoglycerides high in long chain (C.sub.20 -C.sub.24) fatty acids when used in conjunction with C.sub.16 -C.sub.18 fatty acid mono- and/or diglycerides enhance the viscosity, emulsifying capabilities, and foam-stability of the food products containing the low-saturate shortening of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a low-saturate, all-purpose, plastic shortening suitable for use in a broad range of applications consisting of, but not limited to, pies, cakes, biscuits and other baked goods; frostings; icings; fried foods; and the like.
It is an additional object of the present invention to produce a low-saturate shortening which exhibits enhanced beta-prime crystalline phase stability.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a low-saturate shortening which enhances the emulsion-, viscosity-, and foam-stability of icings, frostings, and cake batters during their preparation. Said enhancement results in icings, frostings, and cakes exhibiting improved taste, appearance, and texture.
These and other objects of the present invention will become clear by the disclosure herein
All percentages and ratios herein are by weight unless otherwise specified.